Trolley.



Patented' lune' I2, |900. F. A. MERRICK.

T R 0 L L E Y.

(Application led Sept. 14, 1899.)

(No Mqdel.)

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UNrTED STATES PATENT Ormes.

FRANK A. MERRIOK, OF JOHNSTOVN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 651,575, dated J une 12, 1900.

Application filed September 14, 1899. Serial No. 7301437. (N model.)

To all whom, it may oon/corn:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. MERRICK, of Johnstown,in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trolleys, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to trolleys for electric cars which derive their current from an overhead conductor, and more particularly to the base or mounting by means of which the trolley arm or pole is connected to the roof of the car.

The objects of my invention are to provide a trolley-basey which is of simple, durable, and inexpensive constructiomwhich is sufficiently low to enable the car to which it is attached to pass under low bridges or other overhead structures Where there is but a limited space between them and the top of the car, and which is provided with novelly constructed and arranged spring means for maintaining the required upward pressure of the trolley arm or pole, which are very effective in the character of their action.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side View, partly in section, of my improved trolley base or mounting with A the pole broken off; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

In the drawings the letter A designates a base-plate which is designed to be rigidly secured to the top of a car and -which is provided with an upwardly-projecting pin or stud B, upon Whichuis pivotally sleeved one end portion of an elongated arm C.

D designates the trolley arm or pole, to whose lower end portion is secured a socket- 45 piece D', having an eye or barrel portion d,

which seats between side flanges of the arm C and is pivoted to permit the usual swinging movement of the pole by means of a transverse pin E, which is seated in said side flanges. The piece D has an upward and rearward projection D2, in which is seated a trans verse pin f, having projecting end portions which are engaged by links G, whose lower' ends support a second transverse pin H.

' l is an elongated oblique bar or leaf spring 55 which is seated between the side iianges of the arm C, one end being secured in a shoe J and its other or free end engaging the pin H. This spring is preferably composed of a number of superposed plates or laminae of 6o different lengths, as shown. In order to provide means for adjusting its tension, the shoe J is pivoted in the arm O at the point J', and its opposite end portion loosely engages a threaded bolt or stud K, fixed in said arm, and also seats a nut L, which engages the thread of said bolt or stud. lt will be readily seen that by turning this nut the tension of the spring may be adjusted as may be required. Other suitable means may, however, 7o be provided for securing such adjustment. The action of the spring upon the trolley-pole to maintain upward pressure of the latter is obvious from the foregoing and from the drawings, Fig. l of which indicates diierent positions of the spring as it is put under compression as the elevation of the trolley-pole is decreased, its action being practically ml when the pole is in its free or vertical position and gradually increasing as the pole ap- 8o proaches the horizontal. By tying together the several plates or laminae of the spring, as indicated at P, its action may be made effective in the opposite direction to prevent any tendency of the pole when free to pass the vertical position. When the car is to be run in the opposite direction, the pole and arm C are swung around through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees on the pin or stud B.

lt will be readily seen that the base above described may be constructed so as to project but slightly above the roof of the car, the parts being few i'n number and compactly arranged. lt will also be noted that the ar 95 rangement and character of the spring is extremely effective and that the life of the spring is much longer than that of the helical springs commonly employed in devices of this character, being free from bends and turns. An roe other advantageous feature of my improved. base is that it presents above the car no parts which are liable" to catch in low or broken overhead wires, all the parts with the exception of the pole being within the arm C.

I do not wish to be limited to the particular construction and arrangement which Ihaveg herein shown and described, as the same mayl, be changed in detail withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what, I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination With a base-plate rig idly secured to the roof of a car, and an elongated horizontally-extending arm pivotallyl secured thereto, of a trol1eypole pivoted at its lower portion in the said arm, and having an upward rearward projection, an elongated hat or leaf 'spring secured at'its rear end por-` tion to the rear end portion of the said arm, anda loose connection between 'the'o'pposite en d portion of the said spring'and the projec-l tion on the pole, substantially" as described. ,2."The" combination with a b'asemember rigidly secured'to the roof of a car, and an elongated horizontal arm pivotally'secnred to thesaid member, of a trolley-pole pivoted to said arm near the pivotal point of the latter, ailat spring secured at one end to theopposite endportion ot"` the said arm', and'alink connecting the opposite end `portion of` said: spring to the pole, substantially as described 3. The combination with a base-plate',` and an elongated horizontal arm pivotallysecnred thereto, of a trolleypole pivotedf to the said` 4o by the said links, a ilatspring secured at onev end to the said arm, and at the other end to` the said lin-ksr l f 4;. In' a trolley, the combination of a basepiece, an'elongated arm pivoted thereto and i having side flanges, a trolley-pole having its lower end portion pivotally secured between the saidtlanges, a Hat spring iixed at one end in the outer portion of the said arm, and links connecting the other end portion of said spring to the trolleyepole.

5. `In a trolley, the combination of a basepiece, an elongated arln pivotally secured thereto and having side lian ges, a trolley-pole having its lower end portion pivotally secured between the said lianges, an elongated fiat spring inclosed by said flanges and fixed at one end to the said arm, and links connecting the opposite end` portion of the spring with the trolley-polel 6. In a trolley, the combination of a horizontallymovablearm; a trolley-pole pivoted thereto, a fiat spring connected at one end to "thesaid pole,`a'piv`*oted 'shoe iniwhich the opposite endportion ofsaid spring Vis seated, and lneansfor 'adjusting said shoe on *its pivot.

"7. The combination with the pivoted trolley arm or pole`,`an`d` the flat spring connected thereto", at" one end, pivoted shoe irrwhich said springis seated Aat its-opposite `end,"a threaded fboltorl stud' and an adjn'stingennt FRANK MERRIQK.

Witnesses: "MYRTLE E. SHARPE,

"l-I. W: SMITH. 

